Why Are Orthopedic Residents Reluctant to Participate in Spinal Surgeries Teaching Programs?

Nowadays there are a few postgraduate orthopedic surgeons who wish to enter a spinal fellowship program. The purpose of this study is to determine the current trainees’ perceptions of competency in the spine fellowship education in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences and evaluating their suggestion to overcome the problem. In this cross sectional study, a self-made questionnaire was developed by the Department of Spine Surgery, Orthopedics Group and completed by 21 orthopedics residents. The questionnaire contained background and analytic questions about spine surgery educational programs. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS ver. 16 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Mean age of the subjects was 31.4±3.5 years old. Absence of spinal trauma emergency department, complexity and difficulty of these procedures were the strongest reasons for orthopedics residents’ decreased interest in spinal teaching programs. Their most important proposals included more surgeries carried out by them independently and considering a rotational course especial for spine surgeries.